Turntable Choices


Hi all, I'm looking to get a new (to me) turntable and these are my choices: Oracle Delphi MK2, VPI Traveler, VPI HW-19 MK3, and a Linn LP12. I'm leaning twords the Oracle but, what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
128x128zimmythegreek
The HW19 will be warmer and fuller sounding than the Oracle which while not the least bit clinical sounding is leaner sounding and less weighty in the bass. The Linn, you already have an idea of how it sounds since your Ariston is actually the table that the original Linn was modeled after. A modern Linn will be a significant step up in refinement over the Ariston, but a lot of the basic traits remain; nice pace and timing and good midrange. My concern would be that if your system is already warm as you like it, the HW19 might be too much of a good thing. When I bought my first HW19, I compared it to the Oracle and chose the HW19 because my system at that time benefited from the warmth and fullness of the VPI while the Oracle, while having terrific clarity, sounded too lean in my system. But man did it look cool!
My two cartridges are Transfiguration Spirit III & a Clearaudio Discovery. Tonearm is a Sumiko Premier MMT
Zimmy -- IMO, the arm is no match for either of your cartridges (I've used all of the above, the Sumiko on Pink Triangle). But it was very good value for money back then.
Any reasonably priced & well engineered modern arm --say the Clearaudio unipivot for example -- will give you much better performance from those carts.

So back to the TTs. My suggestion is that if you buy new, opt for a package TT/arm combo.
So if you do not opt for vintage or the Traveller, you might consider a Clearaudio package deal (called "concept" I think) which comes with the unipivot & is an excellent sounding combo.

If you end up going vintage, the Linn is probably the best value for money at this moment. There are of course many extraordinarily engineered Japanese behemoths or the ubiquitous EMT to choose from -- but these can easily set you back ~5k in the blink of an eye!

But again: you already have the cartridges to easily match a top level TT. My latest (and last Discovery) was on a Simon Yorke...
You will probably like the sound that comes from a Nottingham Analogue turntable
I have a Brooks mod oracle with a Mystic mat and it throws one of the widest soundstages I've ever heard. Yes it is a tad lean in the bass but it really matters what kind of arm and cartridge your gonna use to minimize this malady.Also if the Oracle has the Brooks Mod on it you should get more bass than a non modified Oracle. At somepoint all Oracles were manufactured with the Brooks mod,I believe starting with the 3. The eye candy factor is great though,I fell in love with the Oracle the very first time i saw one,looking like an oil rig jutting out of the North Sea.
Thank you all for the very insightful responses. I ended up going with a Linn LP12. I can't wait to get it set up and give it a whirl.